Hockey|Before Game, the Blackhawks Rejoice; at the End, the Rangers Do

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Rangers 3, Blackhawks 2

Before Game, the Blackhawks Rejoice; at the End, the Rangers Do

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Patrick Kane entered United Center in Chicago on Wednesday before the Blackhawks played the Rangers. Multiple news reports have said that Kane has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in early August.CreditCreditAlyssa Schukar for The New York Times

By Jeff Arnold

Oct. 7, 2015

CHICAGO — For a moment, the one-goal lead the Rangers had protected for nearly 32 minutes seemed to vanish — but only for a moment.

Somehow, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist had managed to pin Chicago’s captain, Jonathan Toews, under his right pad. The Blackhawks, the defending Stanley Cup champions, had pulled goaltender Corey Crawford, looking to equalize against the Rangers and complete their title celebration on the season’s opening night.

With the puck seemingly protected under Lundqvist’s pad, Patrick Kane skated in and pushed it into the back of the net, setting off an eruption inside United Center.

But when a video replay supported the call on the ice — play had stopped before Kane’s apparent tying goal — the Rangers could exhale, spoiling Chicago’s night with a 3-2 victory.

“I could kind of feel the puck underneath my pad,” Lundqvist said. “I heard the whistle. I could hear it before the puck went in.”

Derek Stepan scored what proved to be the winning goal with 59 seconds remaining in an eventful first period, following up a shot by Kevin Hayes from just to the side of Crawford’s crease.

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Kane’s legal issues aside, his jersey, with “88” stitched on the back, was among the most popular in the crowd during the red-carpet ceremony.CreditAlyssa Schukar for The New York Times

Crawford had been taken out of the play by a collision with defenseman Trevor Daley, leaving the puck alone in front of an empty net. Stepan glided in and finished off the goal, giving the Rangers a 3-1 lead.

“We talk about having good starts, and I thought our first period was really strong,” Stepan said. “Second and third period, we sat on our toes a little bit too much, but that’s something we can make adjustments to. We were able to hang on and find a way to win a road game.”

The Rangers, who waited out a 30-minute pregame ceremony during which the Blackhawks raised a Stanley Cup banner for the third time in six years, wasted little time in quieting the crowd.

Oscar Lindberg, a 23-year-old Swedish rookie, gave the Rangers a quick 1-0 lead 1 minute 43 seconds in, beating Crawford and draining the energy out of an arena that moments earlier had been a virtual light show as images of the Blackhawks’ championship run were displayed on the ice.

The Chicago rookie wing Artemi Panarin scored his first N.H.L. goal 14:24 into the first, with an assist from Kane, momentarily erasing the deficit.

But the Rangers needed little time to regain the momentum. A Kevin Klein goal at the 16:38 mark put the Rangers up for good, and Stepan’s goal late in the period gave them a two-goal cushion.

Teuvo Teravainen cut Chicago’s deficit to a goal nearly seven minutes into the second period. But the Blackhawks were unable to solve Lundqvist, who pushed aside the 14 shots he faced in the third period, finishing with 32 saves.

“It was a good test for us right away,” Lundqvist said. “They’re a good team, Stanley Cup champs last year, but we came out and played a simple, hard game.”

Opening night also included the return of Kane, who was the subject of an investigation near his hometown, Buffalo.

Multiple news reports have said that Kane has been accused of raping a woman in early August at his off-season home. While he has not been charged, Kane has been unable to shake off the weight of the inquiry or distance himself from it.

After Wednesday’s morning skate, Kane sat at his locker stall inside the Blackhawks’ newly remodeled dressing room. For more than 20 minutes, he remained surrounded by television cameras and reporters. Kane said he felt good physically and was mentally prepared for the season.

“I feel good when I get to the rink, to be honest with you,” Kane said. “It’s kind of like my little getaway from everything — coming here, being with the guys, playing hockey, doing things that I love. Now that I’m here, I just try to focus on that.”

Kane addressed the allegations before starting training camp last month, leaning on hockey and his teammates for support. Regaining his knack for outskating the competition and scoring, Blackhawks Coach Joel Quenneville knew, would come.

Quenneville said Wednesday that he was pleased with how Kane had kept his focus on hockey.

“I think he’s getting better every day,” Quenneville said.

Kane, who has tried to keep the investigation at an arm’s length, said he appreciated the kind of support he received Wednesday.

“Anytime you go through difficult times, I guess — just to see that support, whether it’s from your teammates or the fans, and obviously, your family is going to be there, is pretty cool to see,” Kane said. “You never know what the reaction or the reception is going to be, but I’ve been fortunate to have that support and have the fans on my side. Whether people view it as good or bad, that’s their own decision.”

Correction:Oct. 10, 2015

An article on Thursday about the Rangers’ 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in their N.H.L. season opener misstated, in some editions, the period in which Kevin Klein scored for the Rangers. It was the first, not the second. The article also misstated, in some editions, the number of saves Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist had. It was 32, not 34. (He faced 34 shots.)

A version of this article appears in print on , Section B, Page 21 of the New York edition with the headline: Before Game, the Blackhawks Rejoice; at the End, the Rangers Do. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe